No sooner had the final buzzer sounded at the end of Saturday's Fight Night at Etihad Arena than the UFC began shaping its next big event in Abu Dhabi.
Midway through the now customary summer Fight Night, the MMA giants made it official for UFC 333 on October 24, back on Yas Island.
It's little wonder that Dave Shaw, the UFC's executive vice-president and head of international and content, told The National that Abu Dhabi feels like a “second home”.
“There's really no better way for us to announce the return to Abu Dhabi than when we're currently in Abu Dhabi,” said Shaw. “It gets people excited, right?
"We've now got a few months to plan. We've got our athletes who are looking forward to competing on that card and are starting to prepare for the event.
“[It is] tough for me to break any fights that Dana [White] and the matchmakers are starting to create, but just look at our history.
“Go through the top athletes that we've got at the moment ... all of them have competed here. And so, if that's any indication of what's to be expected for UFC 333, then people should be pretty excited.”
Saturday's bill was topped by Magomed Ankalaev's victory over Bogdan Guskov in the light-heavyweight division. It was the 23rd UFC event to be staged in Abu Dhabi; October's show will be the 24th. That takes Abu Dhabi into fifth place overall, ahead of Australia and behind only the US, Brazil, Canada and the UK.
“For a lot of our athletes, for a lot of our staff, it really does feel like a homecoming," said Shaw. "And, you know, when you look at some of the fan turnout and our ticket sales, the impact of the event, it really does feel like a second home.
“The Abu Dhabi events are an integral part of our annual calendar,” he added. “If you think about it, besides Las Vegas, there's no other city that we go to more than once every single year.
“And for us to deliver both a numbered event and a Fight Night, we created these sort of tentpole destinations in our calendar where our athletes, our fans, our staff know that we'll be here in Abu Dhabi.
“It allows us to make a greater impact on the activations that are happening in the local community, the work that we're doing with some of our athletes and our sponsors. It sort of festivalises the destination. It's a formula that works really well for our fans.”
'World-class partnership'
Saturday's show once again drew thousands of fans, both domestic and from overseas, to Yas Island, underlining the huge appetite for live sports in the UAE.
“I think for us, we're very proud to be here,” said Shaw. “We're very proud to bring a global audience ... to show the world that Abu Dhabi is open for business. It's beautiful, it's active, it's vibrant. For us to play a role in all that is something that's very special for us.”
It's a relationship that stretches all the way back to 2010 and will continue for the foreseeable future with a contract in place through 2028.
“There's no better world-class example of a sports-government partnership that exists at the moment,” said Shaw of the 16-year relationship with Abu Dhabi.
Ankalaev v Guskov - in pictures
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Magomed Ankalaev in action during the light heavyweight bout against Bogdan Guskov at UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi on July 25. All pictures by Victor Besa / The National -
Magomed Ankalaev goes for a crank against Bogdan Guskov at UFC Fight Night. -
Magomed Ankalaev, right, and Bogdan Guskov at UFC Fight Night. -
Bogdan Guskov, left, in action against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi. -
Ramazan Temirov in action during the flyweight bout against Steve Erceg. -
Ramazan Temirov goes after Steve Erceg. -
Ramazan Temirov celbrates his win. -
Magomed Zaynukov, right, in action during the lightweight bout against Damien Rzepecki. -
Magomed Zaynukov lands a big elbow on Damien Rzepecki. -
Magomed Zaynukov in action at UFC Fight Night. -
UFC fans at Etihad Arena. -
UFC fans at Etihad Arena. -
UFC fans at Etihad Arena. -
Valter Walker gets the submission win over Thomas Petersen. -
Abdul Hussein in action during the bantamweight bout against Cody Gibson. -
Abdul Hussein celebrates after his victory.
“The economic impact and job creation, the tourism, and as I mentioned before, the community impact. The millions of viewers that are seeing this event across our digital and social channels and the various broadcasters around the world that are showing this fight.
“I mean, I think this is the gold standard and something that all sports organisations and governments should aspire to. We've got a regular cadence with our annual events. We've taken things to the next level. We continue to expand what we're doing in the region.
“And that type of long-term commitment with tangible economic benefit is something that I think most formulas of a government-sports partnership aspires to.”
